Hold onto your ankles boys and girls…we are getting ready to really see if there is a God, if there is anything like justice in this world…because according to the experts, it’s going to get real deep, real soon, so grab ahold of whatever reserves of courage and faith that you got and get ready to feel it stretch to its limits….i take no pleasure in reporting these things…i pray every day for human unity and harmony…but it looks like we might be in for a transformation on an epic scale…and when it happens it won’t be pretty, and if we want to make it to the other side, we must bolster our capacity for sanity in insane conditions…

Father Mapple Moab Adzu III

reporting from the front…

26 Comments

I think the problem behind it is that these road signs point to a basic hell on earth. Not an an end.
If it just stopped one day I think most folks would be okay with that. I would. I just don’t want to suffer along the way. Who does?

yeah, i am not happy about these things, but i think it is prudent to prepare, if only in an emotional way…because the suffering will come in heavy waves, and it will be difficult to remain hopeful..but hope and faith in progress is the only antidote to chaos…

the machine war is coming…and i want to fight, i want to make a conscious stance, with my brothers and sisters at globatron…

a few years ago, i was reading articles about the coming economic collapse…while people were buying homes and making money..i knew that the recession was on the way…and who am i? really, i’m not an economist, i just read articles out of harpers, and i trust my judgment…when the experts predict it, i take it as something probable…

the fact that i can know such futures is horrifying to me, because i do not think of myself as an expert, and this reflects poorly on the majority of human beings…who are able constantly to ignore signs of coming disaster.

i hope only for this, that my little tribe of spiritual warriors finds our great glory and transcendent purpose in the coming storm…

Greg

May 27, 2010

I do not consider myself ignorant by any means and do not subscribe to the doom gloom predictions. Life is about change and everything has been done before and will be again. Not sure who the poster is or what qualifies him as an expert but hey, to each their own. You say impending storm, I see gentle rain with some thunder storms.

yo greg, never said i was an expert, i was merely pointing to an article where a bunch of experts agree that the coming summer is going to see our market collapse…i would love to be wrong about this…and i would love for you to be right…but like i said, like you said, i’m not an expert, and when some experts say it is going to happen, i feel it’s better to be safe than sorry, i mean what should we expect from an economy built upon rampant greed? read the article, if it doesn’t frighten you, then i ask, what makes you so confident, what makes you an expert?

here’s one of the items in the article, from the Wall Street Journal ( you might have heard of them)

WALL STREET JOURNAL- (2/2010)
“You are witnessing a fundamental breakdown of the American dream, a systemic breakdown of our democracy and our capitalism, a breakdown driven by the blind insatiable greed of Wall Street: Dysfunctional government, insane markets, economy on the brink. Multiply that many times over and see a world in total disarray. Ignore it now, tomorrow will be too late.”

to logocentric, and in some ways to g-tron, who has been arguing in a similar vein…

to rely upon the comfort of death is, in my humble opinion, a mystical form of nihilism…although it might be true, that death opens us to higher, or more expansive forms of consciousness…although it might be true, that nothing happens, that we cease…although it might be true that we wake up in heaven…it is all in the future…and therefore it is a means of averting our eyes from the present, unless of course one is talking about suicide, which is, in my mind, giving into the reality of the present in a way that truly tragic, and truly ‘attached.’

i find there to be more absurdity, more divine revelry in facing it head on…i’m not saying there is a goal, i’m not saying there is a divine plan…i’m not saying that the world will change…i’m saying that we are challenged by this life, and i am attempting to push back, because what does one lose by doing so?

with regards to this article…do i think i can do anything about this collapse, is that why i posted it…no, i posted it because i think sharing the consciousness, preparing ourselves mentally and spiritually for forms of suffering we have yet to truly see, is our only hope of maintaining our sanity if these things do come to pass, if we watch chaos erupt in our cities and senseless violence erupt over basic human needs…

to live is to be present in the chaos of 21st century human calamity…and to be at inner peace, is to choose to live, it is to choose life, and in doing so one must become smart about living, because if these things do come to pass, then that choice will become harder to sustain, and the boundary between suicide and surrender will become blurred…

Greg

May 27, 2010

I never was implying you were the expert, someone mention experts say, and I am always curious as to what qualifies someone as an expert? Who would, could, or should know the future of the world? As far our financial markets the world has been on the brink of disaster for the last 80 years or so, there will always be a crisis of some kind, yet we persevere and move on. Tidal waves wash away entire cities and coast lines, still we move on. Unless a ELE (Every Life Ending) event happens on a global scale, life will go on.

I am not by any means an expert but what is the point of living if you believe the world will end tomorrow? As someone said the fuel of our continued effort is hope.

IMHO I believe the article is more about trying to stir up an uproar about businesses and corporation attempting to make profit. That profit drives our economy and thus our society. The inflammatory use of the word “blind insatiable greed” in the article is there to provoke the desired emotional response.

Define for me what make greed bad? What embelish it with the adjectives of blind and insatiable? If you want to see a real example of this try going to China or any number of countries in the Far East that produce the goods we buy with the enslavement of children. Yes children that work 8-10 a day making pennies in an attempt to feed their families. That is immoral greed. I know some companies here engage and condone this, more though do not and seek to earn legitimate profits.

Anyway I need to get back to my job, if you want to hate on the evils of greed and corporate America then look around and consider what your quality of life would be without them, no advanced hospitals, no nice cars or homes, no utilities or comforts. Yeah I can live with corporate America.

It really touched me how the desire to live pushed the man down the road and how the boy held the light or hope of humanity for him. It was truly touching. I hope to have the torch to carry when the time comes for my children. I’m not sure if I have the energy to make it very far down the road he describes.

logocentric

May 27, 2010

well said, AL. although i wrote my last comment slightly tongue-in-cheek, there is clearly some truth in it; so your points are well-taken. i don’t disagree with anything you say, except perhaps your assumption that i may “rely upon the comfort of death.” in fact, the idea of my own personal death has often been a frightening thing for me, the most frightening thing, in fact. yet i have often let it creep into my consciousness without facing it squarely. so in giving a good deal of thought to this topic over the past few days (after speaking with you on the phone, in fact), i have decided to begin to find a way to let that inevitable event become a reality in my every day life–but a conscious, frank, and deliberate way of thinking, as opposed reactionary denial and pushing it out of my mind, which is usually what occurs. no, i am not contemplating suicide; i am thinking about what has to come eventually. and i in the process, i am trying to get my house in order, so that i can free up more creative energy that will surely be necessary to deal with whatever is on the immediate horizon. your comment may say it best:

“i posted it because i think sharing the consciousness, preparing ourselves mentally and spiritually for forms of suffering we have yet to truly see, is our only hope of maintaining our sanity if these things do come to pass, if we watch chaos erupt in our cities and senseless violence erupt over basic human needs…”

exacto-mondo. and thank you. such topics should be discussed without having to peel off robotically-applied labels of crackpot, fear-monger, doom-and-gloomer, and so forth. these are the things that i am thinking about lately; this is my way of preparing; and i’m glad to have a place where we can share such thoughts.

logocentric

May 27, 2010

to Greg, i think you’re probably right about the motives behind some of this language. who might profit from it? liquor and pharmaceutical companies, maybe (depressants and anti-depressants)? maybe the gun industry. just speculating.

By the way in The Road all the water on the ocean is contaminated as well. He doesn’t go into detail on why it is but with the Gulf Coast oil spill I’m not having too much of a problem thinking of possible reasons why.

logocentric

Nope. There is no hole in the sky that I remember or discussion of such hole. I’m sure the movie had fun with the story but the book keeps the reason for the situation to your imagination. that made it even more horrifying to me for some reason.

anybody who thinks the negative connotation that goes with the term ‘greed’ needs to be defended, is so lost in a world of post-modern relativism, the current opium of the masses, that they are incapable of understanding the very language i would use to make a defense…

those child slaves you speak so stereotypically about in china are busy working away at making products for americans, so i hardly understand the division you make between our society and theirs. their society is my society, by virtue of how my society exploits the difference in market value for labor.

if you are happy having your comforts come directly from other peoples’ misfortunes, then fine, have at it, but know this, you are in every way the universe can understand this my enemy, and i will resist your corporatized greed and exploitation every day i am lucky enough to have the honor of doing so…what makes you different from those who lived off the labor of slaves? except for your unwillingness to admit that that is what you are doing?

just to clarify one point…the concern for future disasters, caused by readily understood systems of operation, has absolutely nothing to do with ‘the end of the world’…it has everything to do with trying to live consciously, which is exactly what a democracy, by design, requires of its citizens…the attitude that everything will be fine if we just depend on some ‘invisible hand’ of the market is a superstition that the greedy bastards use to extract wealth from the powerless.

radical changes to the human social environment do occur, and it could be argued that they are the norm of human history, not the exception…just because the last 100 years, in your mind, has not produced a radical change, does not erase such events as the plagues of the middle ages, or the expansion of great empires throughout ancient history, or the discovery of metallurgy…and on and on…

there are those who wish to live engaged in the process of the present..and those like you, who want to pretend that nothing changes..and why? that is the mystery, what does this serve for you? perhaps your life will go on without being affected by all the change, but i promise you, that will be a freakin miracle…because the world is so connected right now, that our desire to fill our car makes us all complicit in the mess affecting millions of people around the gulf of mexico…just because we are all greedy, does not mean it is good…that’s a cop out…

logocentric

Greg

May 27, 2010

Ok Akbar, I never said I approved of the tactics that I mentioned. It is what it is? DO you know where your shoes were made and by who? Again the self rightneous is so completely inane, you want to put yourself above the rest of us? Fine. Go ahead, I am be honest, our society and quality of life would not exist without the “evil” greed of corporations. You seem to group all of them into singular label, if that is your stance then go ahead and withdraw your support of all of them. Take off your shoes, your clothes, probably your car (yeah parts are made overseas by people being paid ridiculously low wages) and anything else made by corporate America. That also means you do not shop at Wal Mart, Winn Dixie, or any other major retailer. Also the hospitals and medical assistance are out since all the supplies are made by Johnson and Johnson, Bristol Myers and all other evil corporations.
Exploitation is not always a bad thing, we exploit the land to grow food, we exploit to ocean for fish, we exploit many resources to provide us with our everyday comforts. You want to play the high moral ground, go ahead. I rather be honest about it.
Let me know what you have when you get done and then tell me how long you want to play martyr for moral high ground. I never said it was the best or always right but it is what it is. You can call me what you want for being one of the ones who goes along with the corporate whores.

my family has started to only purchase locally, humanely grown meats…when i can eat at a locally owned restaurant i do (this also tastes better), when i can shop from local merchants i do…

just because you are honest about your apathy does not mean it is virtuous. i cannot say i am righteous, but i am trying to be.

the language of ‘greed’ and ‘exploitation’ is itself an affront to my sense of decency and respect for human beings and for nature…just because we have made mistakes in the past, does not mean we should not try and improve our behavior toward people and mother nature…

this blog is here to represent concern…and to express insights about our concerns, and our desires, and our dreams and our hopes for our childrens’ futures…sometimes that means looking at dangers square in the face…

you may argue with the points we make, but saying that our perspective is irrelevant is not an argument…it is an attack, and i will treat it as such…

if you think the article is bogus, then research the sources and tell us why…but to tell us somehow that our feelings, our opinions, our rights to be engaged in our world is somehow illegitimate, and to mask it in some kind of ‘oh, this is the way the world is…and it will never change’…. that is dishonest…

Greg

May 27, 2010

Akbar fantastic for you that you try and do all those things.

You wish to reflect negatively on me for doing what is needed to survive, you want to place yourself as virtuous and enlightened because you choose to make changes to your life style in order to achieve a higher moral purpose. Great for you. Just because you do that does not make you better than the rest of us. That comes off as simply arrogant.

Anyway, I am not attempting to attack you, if you see it as such then understand it is not an attack. I am simply interjecting my two cents for what they are worth. In the grand scheme of the world odds are the impact of existance will have little effect on the momentum of the planet. So do the best you can with what you have and forgive yourself. That’s all anyone can do.

Try and keep in perspective, I used to eat at Olive Garden when there was only 3 of them. Now they are a national chain? Do I stop eating at them? You wanna buy local meat, veggies, and all that, great. I unfortunately lack the time in my schedule to make that effort, so I shop where it is most cost effective.

I keep Carlin’s famous line in my head always, The planet will be fine, Humanity will be screwed (this is being changed from a very explicitive word). And that is the reality as it stands today. The effect man has on the planet will be temporary, the planet will heal. We however would not so why waste your life by stressing over it so much. Life is too short.

logocentric

Greg

May 27, 2010

Well I respect your opinion Akbar, although I might think it to be unrealistic it is yours. I am simply honest about what I see. I do not subscribe to be a saviour or saint. Already tried to save the world, turned out it did not want saving. So now I simply do what I have to do to care of my family and me. If that makes me less of a person then so be that.

I do understand I have polarizing and opposite views from most here. I thought it might be good to balance the scales a bit and provide an alternate view. As for research, I unfortunately, do not have huge amounts of time on my hands but get a lot from experience. I have lived a pretty varied and eventful life. Anyway peace out, have a good night.

i never claimed to be better than you..just need to point that out…most likely my passion is being mistaken for arrogance….in fact, i think often times people with a sense of self can sometimes be threatening to those who have internal unconscious conflicts…but that is an aside.

to respond to a few of your points…the willingness to entertain the world without humanity, even in a humorous way, is so ludicrous to me…it’s most salient deficiency, in my opinion, is its utter lack of courage…it is fatalistic, and it is a choice…you can defend it, that is fine, but you cannot dictate that it is reality…the scope of reality is up for debate….

as you said, why stress over these matters? well, i think the people who make this site have accepted the stress of existence..the real question is why do you stress over our stressing?

there is a deep connection between individual self-esteem and species esteem…

olive garden is hardly edible…and i’m sorry you have to eat there…it’s actually cheaper and easier to make a decent italian meal at home…however, given your location, i doubt decent fresh bread is available…i don’t know why the south is so fresh bread deficient…

logocentric

now, embittered by the world that rejected your leadership, you come here to try and sell us on the kool-aid…

well, i am quite compassionate for your position, i am…because well i’ve been there…but eventually it will lose its sedative affect and some injustice will rouse you again to struggle, to try again to lead…

and when it does, i suggest Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, or Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter From a Birmingham Jail…

education is a great bulwark against bitterness, it is the reason so many saints and liberators focus on study…

you may keep trying to argue for a set of positions it is now obvious you don’t truly believe, but we know now, we all know that you are one of us, trying to live as one of ‘them.’

do not mistake giving up for maturity…i’ve watched people die with regret…it is not something i wish to go through…

Greg

May 28, 2010

I just read this Akbar, it amuses me that you catagorize people into areas of us and them. I am some of both, to clarify, I was not attempting to sell any leadership ideas, my comment was on the fact I was in the medical field for the military for 2 years. Worked in the lab phase where the job I did literally meant life or death most of the time. The stress and weight of that got to me and I decided I no longer wanted the weight of the world on my shoulders.

So hope that clarifies, as for my kool aid, well I might be drinking it but I would wager there are a lot more drinking my kool aid than yours. Just saying that simply because I don’t blindly dive into your introspective belief pool doesn’t mean I am a them or us.

I make no lies about being conservative, I am not a Republican by any means. The entire government has me pretty irked and disturbed.
Conservative meaning I have a very simple view of what the government should do and what should be left for people.